This is the restaurantcafe somebody's house carpark where we'll be devouring our shelly little friends.

Ignore the bruise mark on my forehead. When people ask me why, I tell them truth: I went to have a bowl of pho, I complained of a headache, and the pho lady suddenly appear to pinch my head to "get rid of the wind".

When she's done. I have no more "wind" in my head. Instead I have a red mark on my face.

You can't get an experience any more Vietnamese than that.

Wearing dental gloves and plastic glass for protection because it's gonna get messy!

First, you take a freshly-cooked snail from the pot.

Then you pick the slug out from its shell using a toothpick.

Dip it into chilli or lime sauce, then put it on your tongue.

Next, allow the slug to slowly crawl its way into your stomach.

KIDDING!

You quickly swallow the contents of the snail.

The meat of the slug is a bit tough, kinda like beef tendons or uncooked sotong. There's not much you can chew.

Flavour-wise, it tastes a bit like EARTH-FLAVOURED clams. I guess the best way to eat them is to dip them into lots and lots of dipping sauce for the best experience.

If this is your first snail-y experience, then give the most excruciating expression on your face for entertainment.

My friends asked me how I felt after I swallowed my first snail in Vietnam.